The Real Issue: You Must Decide Now
I talk a lot about random topics that concern me, ranging from the nature of death to cosmic eternity. In all of this, you're probably asking yourself what the point of it all is, and you'd be right in asking. Philosophy for the pure sake of philosophy is not very useful or interesting (except to those who just love philosophy). Though many of my writings have been of that nature (discussing philosophical concepts for the sake of discussing philosophical concepts), there is an underlying goal I have in mind, and it begins in small steps.
I like to imagine that I look at the big picture of things. I've never been one to care overly much about most short-term things, usually looking at a general picture of the world when I deal with things. As I learn more and more each day and try to understand the world around me, the very obvious but disconcerting truth becomes evident: our world stands on the brink, and without effort, we will all be torn asunder.
Humanity has always been humanity, but leaps and bounds in human technology, the rise of globalization, and an unprecedented amount of interaction between different cultures that don't treat each other like human beings has put us at a pivotal point in history. Trust me when I say that I am not the only one to hold this view.
It is easy to blame millenia of growing tensions around the world on religion. At surface, this seems to be a fair assessment. After all, many of the problems today can be traced back to actions done by the massive Christian and Muslim powers throughout the last 2000 years. In some places, their damage has been almost irreparable. Empires were formed and people were subjugated, killed, and compelled against their will all in the name of religion. For the most part, it was Muslims and Christians who instigated all of this, and much of the blame rests with them.
Just blaming religion though is to easy and actually unfair. Moreover, blaming religion allows many people of low caliber to take the easy way out and abandon or chastise religion (and then praise their lack of religion as a sign that they're enlightened or some nonsense like that). No, religion itself is not to blame, for religion is merely the grand manifestation of humanity at a large and usually social level. A person cannot merely run from religion just because of its failings and be considered clean. Humans are to blame, not religion. After all, there are no ugly religions, just ugly people who practice them.
As cliched as it may sound, there is no truer statement: given the political, religious and social climate around the world, war is inevitable with current conditions. As people, we have all failed to consider the humanity of others. We create barriers around our beliefs and egos, taunting, ridiculing and occasionally even attacking those outside of our self-created walls. This madness, though possibly the result of some general pattern in the evolution of humans to consciousness played out, cannot be allowed to continue. I don't know about you, but I don't want the world to take a drastic turn at one of the potential high points in its duration.
In the next 500 years, humans will hopefully make the true leap to space. While the lunar landing was impressive, it did not establish much of true lasting significance. When humans begin living off of earth, when the first human is born in space or on extraterrestrial soil, humanity will have made one of its greatest leaps. With the consciousness and intelligence we possess, we have starbound potential. If the vast pool of human potential is even remotely tapped, then we can one day leap out into the stars, spreading across the galaxy, and maybe one day, we'll even cross the great seas betweens galaxies, the great oceans between galactic clusters. While much of this is in the future (however possibly distant), what happens now will of course have an important effect on our future (and our next great evolution as a species).
Consider this: much of human energy today is spent on bickering and on destruction. Western society (more specifically at the moment, American society) is trying to perfect the art of war. Billions, possibly even trillions of dollars a year are spent on developing technologies for war. Although war technologies usually mark great leaps in general human technology, we are at a point where we can better use our resources for other things. Think even more about how much time and effort are wasted on what really amount to insignificant cultural differences between people who are more similar than they think. The Christians and the Muslims continue to kill each other, even though their values and beliefs are actually quite similar (though neither side would admit that because they would consider that an insult, another sign that we don't value people who are different from us).
Underlying this unwillingness to empathize with other people and try to understand things from their perspective is the failure of virtually every human to not take responsibility for their mistakes. This is a human universal that none of us transcend. Look all around you. Notice how people will quickly blame, despise, and punish others for not taking responsibility for their actions, but we will be the first to hide from our own failings and deny our involvement in their creation. Everytime we do this, humanity takes a step backwards, going ever closer to the precipice of obscurity. Too many more steps and we'll all fall in.
The blame game is an effort in extreme futility, and humanity has wasted countless millenia and energy in trying to cover their own shame while trying to expose other peoples'. This has in time become more than just an impediment to progress; it is now the infection that threatens to set the body against itself and cause humanity to destroy itself. We value our perspectives over other peoples' while completely ignoring them.
Do you think I'm wrong? I'm not one to usually be this aggressive, but I'm sorry. In this case, I am right, 100%. Consider that some of the people we hate the most in life are the ones who most make us recognize the flaws we try to hide. Consider that people who truly love us tell us the good and the bad we do, but half the time we fail to realize this and instead hate them or direct anger at them daring to imply that we were anything less than perfect. Consider that every time we make mistakes, we usually blame everyone except the agent of our actions: ourselves. Consider that we never accept the possibility that somebody other than us can ever truly be right on anything of importance. Consider that some of the most hated people in history are those who have tried too hard to make people think (shatter their veil of ignorance) and make them accept the bad that comes from their actions (think Jesus, think Ghandi, think many different people).
Seriously consider all of those things, and don't half-ass them. It may be painful for your ego, but if humanity is to have any hope at this point, we all may have to sacrifice parts of our ego. After all, our egos are just manifestations of the general human pattern, and when we value our ego over humanity, we are belittling the foundation upon which our being is built. Egos form islands to decay in the ocean, people join into continents that build mountains to reach the heavens. Humanity was never built by the individual, it was built by the humans. At a global scale, we are currently rejecting the humanity of other humans, and not counting them as our equals, be it at a social level, an intellectual level, a spiritual level, or any level. Do we really ever give as much thought to other peoples' views as we do to ourselves? Sadly, I think not (we're all guilty of this).
Now is the time at which you make the choice. We can continue marching humanity backwards from its fortuitous beginnings and back into the abyss. Bear in mind that this backward march will be bloody, with the blood of millions of people shed all for the sake of human stupidity, pride, and ego. This problem embodies the full weight of the chaos theory; a butterfly (human stupidity, pride, and ego) flaps its wings, and somewhere sometime later, a tidal wave crashes upon the shores of humanity, tearing it asunder. We cannot always see the cause of things, but if you look around you, you will see that this is one effect we can see coming. 2+2=4, and human ego + human stupidity = eventual destruction.
It's hard to know how much time we have left, and if serious pain can actually be averted. I know this sounds pessimistic, but it's true, if you really think about it. I can't make this decision, I'm just one human. As humans, we need to make this decision. If you value a future where humans may live in happiness, where we can reach into the universe and pursue our cosmic destiny, then you must act, and you must act now. I'm not telling you to go do social work. In reality, much of that stuff rarely "changes the world." I'm telling you to put your ego in line, admit your failings, expose your failings, and always treat others as if they are equal to you. While this may not seem like much, and may seem too insignificant to make even a dent in the greater problem, remember the little butterfly who, in flapping his/her wings, caused a tidal wave.
I like to imagine that I look at the big picture of things. I've never been one to care overly much about most short-term things, usually looking at a general picture of the world when I deal with things. As I learn more and more each day and try to understand the world around me, the very obvious but disconcerting truth becomes evident: our world stands on the brink, and without effort, we will all be torn asunder.
Humanity has always been humanity, but leaps and bounds in human technology, the rise of globalization, and an unprecedented amount of interaction between different cultures that don't treat each other like human beings has put us at a pivotal point in history. Trust me when I say that I am not the only one to hold this view.
It is easy to blame millenia of growing tensions around the world on religion. At surface, this seems to be a fair assessment. After all, many of the problems today can be traced back to actions done by the massive Christian and Muslim powers throughout the last 2000 years. In some places, their damage has been almost irreparable. Empires were formed and people were subjugated, killed, and compelled against their will all in the name of religion. For the most part, it was Muslims and Christians who instigated all of this, and much of the blame rests with them.
Just blaming religion though is to easy and actually unfair. Moreover, blaming religion allows many people of low caliber to take the easy way out and abandon or chastise religion (and then praise their lack of religion as a sign that they're enlightened or some nonsense like that). No, religion itself is not to blame, for religion is merely the grand manifestation of humanity at a large and usually social level. A person cannot merely run from religion just because of its failings and be considered clean. Humans are to blame, not religion. After all, there are no ugly religions, just ugly people who practice them.
As cliched as it may sound, there is no truer statement: given the political, religious and social climate around the world, war is inevitable with current conditions. As people, we have all failed to consider the humanity of others. We create barriers around our beliefs and egos, taunting, ridiculing and occasionally even attacking those outside of our self-created walls. This madness, though possibly the result of some general pattern in the evolution of humans to consciousness played out, cannot be allowed to continue. I don't know about you, but I don't want the world to take a drastic turn at one of the potential high points in its duration.
In the next 500 years, humans will hopefully make the true leap to space. While the lunar landing was impressive, it did not establish much of true lasting significance. When humans begin living off of earth, when the first human is born in space or on extraterrestrial soil, humanity will have made one of its greatest leaps. With the consciousness and intelligence we possess, we have starbound potential. If the vast pool of human potential is even remotely tapped, then we can one day leap out into the stars, spreading across the galaxy, and maybe one day, we'll even cross the great seas betweens galaxies, the great oceans between galactic clusters. While much of this is in the future (however possibly distant), what happens now will of course have an important effect on our future (and our next great evolution as a species).
Consider this: much of human energy today is spent on bickering and on destruction. Western society (more specifically at the moment, American society) is trying to perfect the art of war. Billions, possibly even trillions of dollars a year are spent on developing technologies for war. Although war technologies usually mark great leaps in general human technology, we are at a point where we can better use our resources for other things. Think even more about how much time and effort are wasted on what really amount to insignificant cultural differences between people who are more similar than they think. The Christians and the Muslims continue to kill each other, even though their values and beliefs are actually quite similar (though neither side would admit that because they would consider that an insult, another sign that we don't value people who are different from us).
Underlying this unwillingness to empathize with other people and try to understand things from their perspective is the failure of virtually every human to not take responsibility for their mistakes. This is a human universal that none of us transcend. Look all around you. Notice how people will quickly blame, despise, and punish others for not taking responsibility for their actions, but we will be the first to hide from our own failings and deny our involvement in their creation. Everytime we do this, humanity takes a step backwards, going ever closer to the precipice of obscurity. Too many more steps and we'll all fall in.
The blame game is an effort in extreme futility, and humanity has wasted countless millenia and energy in trying to cover their own shame while trying to expose other peoples'. This has in time become more than just an impediment to progress; it is now the infection that threatens to set the body against itself and cause humanity to destroy itself. We value our perspectives over other peoples' while completely ignoring them.
Do you think I'm wrong? I'm not one to usually be this aggressive, but I'm sorry. In this case, I am right, 100%. Consider that some of the people we hate the most in life are the ones who most make us recognize the flaws we try to hide. Consider that people who truly love us tell us the good and the bad we do, but half the time we fail to realize this and instead hate them or direct anger at them daring to imply that we were anything less than perfect. Consider that every time we make mistakes, we usually blame everyone except the agent of our actions: ourselves. Consider that we never accept the possibility that somebody other than us can ever truly be right on anything of importance. Consider that some of the most hated people in history are those who have tried too hard to make people think (shatter their veil of ignorance) and make them accept the bad that comes from their actions (think Jesus, think Ghandi, think many different people).
Seriously consider all of those things, and don't half-ass them. It may be painful for your ego, but if humanity is to have any hope at this point, we all may have to sacrifice parts of our ego. After all, our egos are just manifestations of the general human pattern, and when we value our ego over humanity, we are belittling the foundation upon which our being is built. Egos form islands to decay in the ocean, people join into continents that build mountains to reach the heavens. Humanity was never built by the individual, it was built by the humans. At a global scale, we are currently rejecting the humanity of other humans, and not counting them as our equals, be it at a social level, an intellectual level, a spiritual level, or any level. Do we really ever give as much thought to other peoples' views as we do to ourselves? Sadly, I think not (we're all guilty of this).
Now is the time at which you make the choice. We can continue marching humanity backwards from its fortuitous beginnings and back into the abyss. Bear in mind that this backward march will be bloody, with the blood of millions of people shed all for the sake of human stupidity, pride, and ego. This problem embodies the full weight of the chaos theory; a butterfly (human stupidity, pride, and ego) flaps its wings, and somewhere sometime later, a tidal wave crashes upon the shores of humanity, tearing it asunder. We cannot always see the cause of things, but if you look around you, you will see that this is one effect we can see coming. 2+2=4, and human ego + human stupidity = eventual destruction.
It's hard to know how much time we have left, and if serious pain can actually be averted. I know this sounds pessimistic, but it's true, if you really think about it. I can't make this decision, I'm just one human. As humans, we need to make this decision. If you value a future where humans may live in happiness, where we can reach into the universe and pursue our cosmic destiny, then you must act, and you must act now. I'm not telling you to go do social work. In reality, much of that stuff rarely "changes the world." I'm telling you to put your ego in line, admit your failings, expose your failings, and always treat others as if they are equal to you. While this may not seem like much, and may seem too insignificant to make even a dent in the greater problem, remember the little butterfly who, in flapping his/her wings, caused a tidal wave.
posted by Andrew McKenna at 6:36 PM
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